Disciples of Nightmare Moon
For centuries, dark cults of thestral Nightmare Moon worshippers have bided their time, awaiting her return. Entrusted with her dark secrets, they have readied for the civil war, poised to march forth and join Nightmare Moon's vast army in the north. Or that was the plan, until Daring Do led an impromptu militia to ambush them on the eve of battle and Baltimare was lost to a counter-uprising. Now, savage warfare has erupted through the jungles of Equestria. These southern upstarts must be defeated for Nightmare Moon. May the Night last forever! Lore Luna and the Thestrals A more comprehensive discussion of the history between ponies and thestrals can be found in the [https://equestria-at-war.wikia.com/wiki/Lunar_Empire '''Lunar Empire']' '''article'.'' Thestrals (batponies), night-time counterparts of the pegasi have long been the unofficial fourth pony tribe of Equestria. Featuring leathery wings, fluffy ears, good night vision and batlike fangs, these ponies preferred to work and play at night. Loyal to Princess Luna, thestrals were always somewhat mistrusted and isolated due to their reclusive, nocturnal practices. However this schism widened when Luna was corrupted, transformed into Nightmare Moon and ultimately banished to the Moon by Celestia. Cults of the Jungle As a result of the disaster, terrified ponies drove batponies out of their homes into the far reaches of Equestria, including the jungles of the south. The batponies of the south quickly became more reclusive and wild than their northern cousins. Most batponies frowned on worship of Nightmare Moon, preferring to think that Luna was their true princess and Celestia's ill-treatment had driven her to madness. But in the southern jungles, worship of Nightmare Moon flourished, and small cults sprang up, calling themselves the Disciples of Nightmare Moon. Luna's Return The cultists held that Nightmare Moon would one day return and inevitably triumph over Celestia. Naturally, her return and immediate defeat was greeted with shock and a crisis of faith. Some abandoned their beliefs, heeding Luna's call to abandon worship of Nightmare Moon and live peacefully alongside Equestrians. Others became convinced that Luna was secretly biding her time, gathering alliances and pretending peace for the inevitable betrayal. They decided to follow Luna's supposed example, gathering allies among naive Equestrian bat sympathisers. But most became more fervent, convinced that they had failed Nightmare Moon, unable to assist her in her time of triumph. They embraced darker magics and darker allies, searching for the strength to defeat Equestria and free Nightmare Moon. Their clashes with the "fictional" Equestrian adventurer Daring Do became the stuff of legend and their presence slowed the inevitable encroachment of civilisation and cities into the south. The Civil War When Nightmare Moon began gathering support in the world of dreams, the Disciples were ready, supporting cults and subtly steering bat sympathiser groups across Equestria. They readied an army to sweep north through Baltimare, supporting Nightmare Moon's impending Manehatten uprising. Luna's peaceful thestral supporters became alarmed by the strange omens in the sky, the dark dreams, and the stirring in the southern jungles. Investigating, they sought out Daring Do, who had foiled the plots of the cults so many times in the past, and on the eve of the civil war, an impromptu militia of citizens and local garrisons took the cult by surprise, ambushing their march to the north. Reinforcements failed to arrive in Baltimare, the first city taken by the Disciples, and it was lost to a counter-uprising by communists, who now arm for full war with the cultists... As disciplined armies march in war across the plains of Equestria, a more savage struggle plays out in its hidden jungles. Technology Gameplay and Strategy Starting Situation The Disciples start with a decent army - 35 divisions, 18 of which are well-equipped cultists (6 inf battalions + recon) and 15 underequipped militia (4 inf battalions). However their industry is poor, the terrain is harsh and enemies are on all sides. * The Aztlan Free State to the east, with no industries and 54K ponypower on the field with 18 divisions. * The Baltimare Republic to the north, with 2 civilian factories, one dockyard, and 48K ponypower on the field with 12 divisions. * The Celestial State to the west, with 1 civilian factory, one military factory, and 75K ponypower on the field with 15 divisions. A Secondary War The conflict is isolated from the main conflict between the Lunar Empire and Equestria. The isolation cannot be broken until the northern or southern wars end. The Disciples must race to finish the war as soon as possible in the south so that they can assist Nightmare Moon, for if Equestria wins to the north, all their efforts are likely moot. This war is going to be very difficult because you're fighting a two-front war. First, you should set up a frontline against the as they will be your main opponent in the war. Select a small number of divisions and set up a fallback line on the and borders. This is necessary as you cannot fight a two-front war. Raise as many native militias as you can because, again, you're fighting a two-front war. They're very weak but they're good cannon fodder and garrison units. Once you've defeated the Celestial State, delete the fallback line and set up a frontline in the same spot where the fallback line was on the border with Baltimare and Aztlan. Once you have done this guard the Baltimare border but attack the Aztlan border. This should be done to avoid an overstretched army and more divisions in a single border will help you a lot since (assuming your army is 48 divisions) about 1/3 of your army by now should be divisions that only have 2 infantry in their division template. '''Disciples Victorious - When Baltimare, Celestial State and the Aztlan Free State are defeated, the Disciples of Nightmare Moon may activate a focus to join the fight to the north. Northern War Ends '''- If Equestria or Lunar Empire prevail to the north, they will receive war goals against the remaining enemies in the south. This is almost certain doom for the target side. Defectors When one side begins losing, manpower will slowly defect via events to the winning side of the Disciples / Celestial State. National Focuses ''''' Politics National Spirits Leaders Staff and Designers Political Advisors Tank Designer Ship Designer Aircraft Designer Material Designer Industrial Concern Theorist Chief of Army Chief of Navy Chief of Airforce Military High Command Economy Laws Industry The factory number shown below is true only at the beginning of the war and without factories built in the region by Equestria. ''Editors Note - The below numbers may be out of date. '' The factory number shown below is true only at the end of the war, with all three enemies territories conquered, with all war focuses completed and without factories build in the region by Equestria. These numbers may change depending of the focuses completed by the enemies during the war. Resources ru:Ученики Найтмер Мун Category:Countries